Department for Transport

Transport

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of proposals to create sub-national transport bodies in the South West of England and the East of England comprising the local authorities in these areas.

baroness sugg: The Department for Transport has not yet received any formal proposal from the South West of England or the East of England to create a statutory Sub-national Transport Body (STB). However, local authorities in these areas have formed or are in the process of forming a voluntary partnerships with a view to becoming an STB in the future and departmental officials are working with them to develop their plans.

Railways: Seating

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there are any controls in existing legislation on the rights of railway passengers to have a seat for their journey; and whether legislation includes reference to the number of standing passengers that can safely travel on a train.

baroness sugg: There are no controls within existing legislation. All franchises let by Department for Transport require the train operator to take reasonable steps to address crowding. Safe assessment and operation of services is a matter for individual rail operators’ safety management systems as certificated by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR). We expect all franchised operators to discharge the Franchise Agreement in line with industry safety standards.

European Union Agency for Railways

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Callanan on 22 June (HL8486), how they intend to work with the European Agency for Rail after the UK leaves the EU on issues such as standards.

baroness sugg: The UK rail industry has played a leading role in the development of international rail standards and safety regimes. We fully expect this to continue once we have left the EU and it is in all of our interests that it does given the importance of these areas. The exact nature of the UK’s relationship with the EU on rail, including with the European Agency for the Railways, is a matter for discussion with the EU.

Exhaust Emissions

lord hunt of chesterton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are their policies and main targets for reducing carbon emissions associated with shipping and aviation to and from the UK; and how they are collaborating with the International Maritime Organisation and International Civil Aviation Organisation to achieve those goals.

baroness sugg: Given the international nature of the aviation and shipping sectors, the Government’s emphasis is on taking strong action at the global level as the best means of addressing carbon emissions from these sectors. In April, Member States of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) reached agreement on a Strategy, which includes a commitment to phase out Greenhouse Gases from international shipping as soon as possible within this century, and by at least 50% by 2050. Led by the Department for Transport, the United Kingdom played a leading role in the negotiations, pushing for an ambitious and credible outcome that would enable shipping to play its part in meeting the Paris Agreement temperature goals. The Strategy is a major milestone for the shipping industry, which is now the first global sector to have set an absolute emissions reduction target. It sends a clear signal to the maritime sector that the move to zero emissions technology is imminent. The Government is now working in the IMO to determine what practical and technical approaches need to be taken globally in order to reach the emissions reduction targets. In aviation, the UK was equally instrumental in reaching a ground-breaking agreement at the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Assembly in 2016 on a global carbon offsetting scheme, known as the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA). This is the first worldwide scheme to address carbon emissions in any single sector and is set to commence from 2021. CORSIA contributes to ICAO’s ambition to decouple growth in flights from growth in emissions by achieving carbon neutral growth in the international aviation sector from 2020. To achieve this goal, ICAO has identified a basket of measures, which also includes aircraft technologies, operational improvements and the use of sustainable alternative fuels. The UK continues to play a leading role in ICAO’s environmental work, including all areas of the ‘basket of measures’. The Government is currently developing its aviation and maritime strategies, which will ensure continued progress and that set out a framework for how these modes will contribute fairly to action on climate change, including the UK’s domestic and international obligations.

Aviation

lord hunt of chesterton: To ask Her Majesty's Government to what extent their efforts to reduce environmental impacts of aviationwill include (1) the use of larger and quieter aircraft such as A380 and Boeing 787, (2) the reduction of carbon emissions, and (3) where appropriate, the limitation on constructing new runways.

baroness sugg: The Government is currently developing its Aviation Strategy which sets out to achieve a safe, secure and sustainable aviation sector that meets the needs of consumers in a global, outward-looking Britain. As part of the development of the Aviation Strategy, government is considering the best actions and policies to support growth while tackling environmental impacts. In the development of the Aviation Strategy, the Government is exploring strengthening incentives to bring forward production and operation of quieter aircraft. The Aviation Strategy development also includes putting in place a framework for UK aviation carbon emissions to 2050, which ensures that aviation contributes its fair share to action on climate change, including the UK’s domestic and international obligations. The Government has now designated the Airports National Policy Statement which sets out the need for additional airport capacity in the south-east of England and why Government believes that need is best met by a new Northwest runway at Heathrow Airport. The NPS is clear that a new Northwest Runway Scheme will not receive planning consent unless it can demonstrate compliance with our air quality obligations and adequately mitigate against other environmental impacts of expansion. The detail of the environmental mitigation package will be developed at a later stage through the development consent process. We will be publishing a Green Paper on the Aviation Strategy for public consultation later in 2018 and a White Paper in the first half of 2019.

Air Traffic Control

lord rana: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to reclassify existing areas of unnecessarily controlled airspace to improve safety, efficiency and access to airspace for general aviation traffic.

baroness sugg: The Government is working with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and other key stakeholders to modernise our airspace. The specific needs of general aviation, including whether existing areas of controlled airspace should be reclassified, will be considered by the independent airspace regulator, the CAA, which is responsible for the classification of UK airspace. Last year, the Secretary of State for Transport commissioned NATS to produce a feasibility assessment of the potential future demands for airspace of airports in the South of the UK. This work was the first step in the co-ordination of airspace modernisation, examining its feasibility and potential implementation. It was a design requirement of the NATS modelling that the total volume of controlled airspace does not increase and that where possible, controlled airspace would be released to other airspace users, including general aviation. The Government expects to publish the high level findings of this later in 2018.

Air Displays

lord rana: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made ofthe liability of airshow organisers for harm that occurs as a result of members of the public deliberately putting themselves at risk.

baroness sugg: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) regulates civil flying displays and publishes requirements and guidance on the organisation, administration and participation of flying displays. Protecting the public is of paramount importance and as such any participant or organiser of a flying display is responsible for carrying out their tasks with the utmost professionalism and to the highest standards. The assessment of liability for any potential harm that may arise for members of the public who deliberately put themselves at risk at civil flying display events is the sole responsibility of the organisers themselves.

Aviation: Licensing

lord rana: To ask Her Majesty's Government what additional resources they intend to provide to the Civil Aviation Authority to manage recent increases in pilot licence applications.

baroness sugg: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is making flexible use of internal resources and additional fixed-term contractor staff, to help manage the short-term increase in applications. This has increased the available resource by 35%, and the CAA consequently expect to have returned to its target turnaround time of ten working days by the end of June. The CAA is also actively recruiting additional permanent staff to improve resilience over the medium to long term.

Aviation

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government why they are recruiting a Head of Aviation EU Exit Negotiations to be responsible for the "overall negotiating position on aviation” while “establishing, leading and managing the core aviation negotiating team” two years after the UK decided to leave the EU; when the successful candidateis expected to be announced and to start work; and what it is hoped they will achieve in the final months of negotiations in the aviation sector.

baroness sugg: The Department for Transport has, and has had for the past two years, sufficient resource and the relevant expertise dedicated to working on aviation EU Exit issues. We are now responsibly looking to supplement this team with some additional posts to maintain that sufficiency, as the workload is likely to increase in a particular area, owing to the forthcoming start of the formal Future Economic Partnership negotiations. Our EU Exit plans are expansive and well developed; we will be well placed to deliver a successful aviation outcome for the UK from the negotiations.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Gulf States: Overseas Aid

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government which department isresponsible for managing the Integrated Activity Fund.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is responsible for the overall management of the Integrated Activity Fund. Applications for funding are received from other government departments. Individual projects and programmes are managed by departments according to their individual governance requirements.

Maher al-Khabbaz

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case of Bahraini death-row inmate Maher Al-Khabbaz, following the letter by four UN experts to the government of Bahrain on 14 February expressing concernsthat his trial “did not meet fair trial and due process guarantees”.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK is firmly opposed to the death penalty. It is the Government's longstanding position to oppose capital sentences in all circumstances and countries. We continue to make this clear to the Government of Bahrain.We continue to follow the case of Maher al-Khabbaz and, where we have concerns, we raise them at a senior level with the Government of Bahrain.

Sayed Alwadaei

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 14 June (HL8317), what is the exact date on which they last discussed the case of the family members of Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei at a senior level with the Bahraini authorities; and what was the outcome of that discussion.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The British Embassy in Bahrain and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office continue to monitor the cases of the family members of Mr Alwadaei. We have raised the cases with the Government of Bahrain. Should we have further concerns we will do so again as part of our continuing open dialogue.

Abduljalil Abdulla al-Singace

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 18 June (HL8316), what was the exact date on which they last discussed the case of inmate Dr Abduljalil Al-Singace with authorities in Bahrain; and what was the outcome of that discussion.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​We have raised this case at a senior level and will continue to do so. The UK has a continuing dialogue with the Government of Bahrain in which we raise individual cases.The UK encourages those with concerns about treatment in detention to report these to the relevant human rights oversight bodies. We urge these bodies to carry out swift and thorough investigations. The UK continues to encourage the Government of Bahrain to deliver on its international and domestic human rights commitments.

Duaa Alwadaei

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 14 June (HL8318), whether they willplace a copy ofthe public statement made by the government of Bahrain on the sentencing of Duaa Alwadaei in the Library of the House .

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We do not plan to place a copy of the public statement made by the Government of Bahrain on the sentencing of Duaa Alwadaei in the Library of the House as it is already a matter of public record.We have been monitoring this case and will continue to do so.

Department of Health and Social Care

Medical Treatments: Side Effects

the countess of mar: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord O'Shaughnessy on 19 June (HL8366), what means are available for reporting and recording adverse health events resulting from non-pharmacological treatments such as graded exercise therapy or cognitive behavioural therapy on a similar basis to those for reporting adverse events to pharmacological treatments through theMedicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency'sYellow CardScheme.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Yellow Card Scheme includes a facility to report suspected adverse incidents associated with products used in psychological treatments. In addition, in guideline development, when reviewing the evidence relating to interventions, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guideline development committees will take into account any adverse outcomes that are reported, alongside the clinical and cost-effectiveness. Patients are able to raise concerns about such treatments directly with a healthcare professional, by raising a concern with the healthcare provider or by making a complaint.

NHS: Productivity

lord warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the latest figures available to them on NHS productivity in each of the last five years; what proportion of any productivity gains in those figures they estimate arise from pay restraints; and what assumptions they have made on NHS productivity for the next five years in producing their recent announcement on NHS funding for that period.

lord o'shaughnessy: The following table shows productivity growth for the National Health Service in England from 2011/12 to 2015/16.2011/122.7%2012/131.5%2013/143.0%2014/150.9%2015/160.3% Source: Office for National Statistics Due to time taken to access patient level data sets, estimates of NHS productivity are produced with a time lag. This means that 2015/16 is the year that the most recent published statistics on NHS productivity are available.Productivity growth compares the growth in volumes of all inputs, including staff, with growth in the volume of outputs, and not expenditure. It considers staff volumes rather than the staff expenditure so wage restraint will not affect productivity growth.As part of the five-year funding agreement which will see the NHS budget grow by over £20 billion in real terms by 2023/24, the Government has set the NHS the following five financial tests to show how the NHS will do its part to put the service onto a more sustainable footing:- improving productivity and efficiency;- eliminating provider deficits;- reducing unwarranted variation in the system so people get the consistently high standards of care wherever they live;- getting much better at managing demand effectively; and- making better use of capital investment. The Government and NHS England have not yet agreed a final assumption on NHS productivity for the next five years; this figure will be agreed via the work on the long-term plan.

Regional Medicines Optimisation Committees

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether theywill request that NHS England requires that Regional Medicines Optimisation Committees put into the public domain papers that are presented to those committees.

lord o'shaughnessy: NHS England is committed to transparency of decision making. The Regional Medicines Optimisation Committees will seek to publish all advice and minutes they are able to. It may not always be possible, however, to publish papers that contain commercially sensitive information.

Regional Medicines Optimisation Committees

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether theywill request that NHS England requires that Regional Medicines Optimisation Committees put into the public domain draft minutes of previous meetings of those committees within a fortnight of meetings taking place.

lord o'shaughnessy: We do not plan to make such a request. NHS England’s Medicines Optimisation Oversight Group, the governance group for the committees, has agreed that minutes of the Regional Medicines Optimisation Committees should be in the public domain within four weeks of a meeting.

Regional Medicines Optimisation Committees

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will request that NHS England requires that Regional Medicines Optimisation Committees consult patient groups before issuing advice to the NHS.

lord o'shaughnessy: NHS England has reaffirmed that relevant patient groups will be consulted before Regional Medicines Optimisation Committees issue any guidance and advice to the National Health Service.

Regional Medicines Optimisation Committees

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) lay, (2) patient group, and (3) professional, members have been appointedto the Regional Medicines Optimisation Committee (South).

lord o'shaughnessy: The South Regional Medicines Optimisation Committee has two lay members and 27 professional members. There are no patient group representatives on the standing membership. NHS England, however, would expect patient representatives to be consulted where there are issues relevant to their areas of expertise or where support to develop patient centred advice is required.

Liothyronine

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they haveheld discussions with NHS England about why NHS bodies in Wessex are developing guidelines on the use of liothyronine which are at variance with national guidelines issued by NHS England.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Department has not had specific discussions with NHS England on this issue with Wessex. However, the national guidelines advise clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) that local decisions should be made regarding arrangements for the on-going prescribing of liothyronine, taking into account both the local needs of the population and the best practice set out in the guidance. While CCGs are expected to have regard to national guidance, they are entitled to develop their own local approaches to its implementation.Advice developed by the Regional Medicines Optimisation Committee (South) will, however, be made available to CCGs to support a consistent national approach to the on-going prescribing of liothyronine.As I mentioned in the debate on Branded Health Service Medicines (Costs) Regulations on the 20 of June, Official Report, columns 2076-80, I will pursue this further with NHS England to promote appropriate adoption of the guidance.

Leuprolide

lord moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have (1) considered, and (2) taken, to raise awareness of the effects of the illegal use of Lupron.

lord o'shaughnessy: The illegal sale and supply of Lupron in the United Kingdom has not been brought to the attention of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).The MHRA is not aware of the misuse of Lupron in the UK and therefore has not considered any steps to raise awareness.

Contraceptives

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to make oral contraceptives available over the counter in pharmacies on the same basis as emergency contraception; and if so, when.

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government whyViagra has been made available over the counter in pharmacies.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Government has no specific plans to make oral contraceptive pills available without a prescription. Any applications to reclassify particular products from prescription only to non-prescription supply would need to be initiated by the manufacturer and would then be considered in accordance with its usual procedures by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.In accordance with its usual procedures the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency approved an application from Pfizer to reclassify the product Viagra Connect (sildenafil 50mg) from a prescription only medicine to a pharmacy medicine. After full assessment of the available evidence and having sought advice from the Commission on Human Medicines, the product was considered safe to be supplied from pharmacies without prescription.

Department for International Development

Pakistan: Religious Freedom

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 18 June (HL8400), whether, in the course of working with marginalised communities in Pakistan, they conduct any monitoring of madrassas known to promote hatred of minorities.

lord bates: DFID does not support madrassas, but does support the Government of Pakistan to improve access to quality education, working in particular towards improving access to education and learning outcomes for the most marginalized groups of children, including the poorest, girls, children with disabilities and children from minority communities. Reforming and regulating madrassas is a key part of the Government of Pakistan’s National Action Plan developed to counter extremism in the country. This has led to registration of some madrassas as well as closing down of some madrassas seen to be promoting sectarianism, religious hatred and intolerance. This plan has been unanimously endorsed and adopted by all political parties as well as government.

Pakistan: Overseas Aid

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 18 June (HL8402), how they have monitored the use of UK aid given to Pakistan in the last ten years; and what plans, if any, they have to link the provision of aid more closely to the protection of minority rights in the recipient country.

lord bates: DFID’s approach in Pakistan includes ensuring that our development assistance targets poor women and men, regardless of race, religion, social background, or nationality. We have robust monitoring in place, including systems to track spend and monitor results and value for money, plus annual reviews and project completion reviews of all programmes. Our support contributes either directly or indirectly to the protection of minority rights, including by adopting a ‘do no harm’ approach. One of the four principles set out in the Partnership Principles Agreement that the UK has with Pakistan is a commitment to respect human rights. DFID and the FCO continue to raise the issue of human rights of minorities at the highest levels of Government, including in our annual Bilateral Assistance Talks, advocating greater tolerance and action against abuses when they occur.

Syria: Humanitarian Aid

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of what international aid is reaching those displaced from Afrin to the Shebha region of Syria.

lord bates: DFID prioritises reaching the most vulnerable people across Syria, wherever they may be. UK funding is distributed on the basis of need rather than geography, and we are advocating to improve the effectiveness and funding of the international response to the Syria Crisis. DFID does not require its humanitarian partners to breakdown funding or results provided to them by area of control, as this is not the basis on which aid is delivered. DFID is providing support to vulnerable Syrians, including displaced people, across the North West of Syria. This includes food packages, access to sustainable water, health consultations, education, and livelihoods and agriculture support. We continue to monitor ongoing displacement across the whole of Syria to ensure our programmes are supporting those most in need.

Gaza: Israel

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 18 June (HL8332), how many medical permits have been issued in the last three months; when they expect electricity to be restored in Gaza; and what action they will take to promote a resolution to the situation in Gaza.

lord bates: Between February and April 2018, a total of 3,341 permits for patients to receive medical treatment outside Gaza were approved. DFID does not have confirmed numbers for months since April.According to OCHA, Gaza is currently receiving an average of 3-5 hours electricity a day. The UK will be supporting the Palestinian electricity institutional system to increase collection of electricity tariffs to make the supply of electricity more sustainable and affordable. We continue to urge all parties to work together to sustainably improve the situation in Gaza, including restoring full electricity.Ultimately, a political settlement is the only way to ensure lasting peace for the people of Gaza, Palestinians and Israelis alike: the UK supports the Egyptian led-reconciliation process and the return of the Palestinian Authority to full administration of the Gaza strip and a negotiated two state-solution.

Department for Education

Schools: Finance

lord watson of invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what information they hold on the number of schools in England and Wales which are currently in financial deficit.

lord agnew of oulton: We trust schools to manage their own budgets and the vast majority are operating with a cumulative surplus, with only a small percentage having a deficit. The latest published overall figures for England’s schools show 2,819 academy trusts (94.5%) and 14,645 local authority maintained schools (91%) reporting a cumulative surplus or breaking even, against 165 academy trusts and 1,461 maintained schools reporting a deficit. The percentage of maintained schools in deficit has remained stable compared to 2010, as has the total balance held by maintained schools, at £1.7 billion. We are providing an additional £1.3 billion to our schools across 2018-19 and 2019-20, over and above previous plans. Core funding for schools and high needs will rise from almost £41 billion in 2017-18 to £42.4 billion this year and £43.5 billion in 2019-20. This will maintain school and high needs funding in real terms per pupil over the next two years. Information on the number of schools in deficit in Wales is a devolved matter, and therefore for the Welsh government to answer.

Schools: Standards

baroness eaton: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Agnew of Oulton on 29 March, how they have calculated the figure of 1.9 million additional children who are in good or outstanding schools since 2010.

lord agnew of oulton: As at 31 December 2017, there were 6,714,920 children in good or outstanding schools. As at 31 August 2010, there were 4,855,336 children in good or outstanding schools. This represents a difference of 1,859,584 more children in good or outstanding schools than in 2010. The figures are derived from published Ofsted data. [1]  [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/maintained-schools-and-academies-inspections-and-outcomes-as-at-31-december-2017.

Schools: Standards

baroness eaton: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Agnew of Oulton on 29 March,of the 1.9 million additional children in a good or outstanding school since 2010, how many are being taught in (1) academies, (2) free schools, and (3) local authority maintained schools.

lord agnew of oulton: As of 31 August 2010, there were 4,855,336 children in good or outstanding schools. As of 31 December 2017, there were 6,714,920 children in good or outstanding schools. This represents an increase of 1,859,584 more children in good or outstanding schools since December 2010. The figures are derived from published Ofsted data but there is no breakdown available of the number of children in free schools in 2010, and therefore there are no data available to calculate the additional number of children for all three categories from 2010 to 2017. Since 2010 around 1700 schools have left local authority control to become sponsored academies. The vast majority of these schools were providing an unsatisfactory or inadequate education at the time of transfer. This has left local authorities with a lower proportion of poor schools. The attached table shows the breakdown of existing data for August 2010 and December 2017.



HL8817_Change_in_number_of_Pupils_in_Good_or_Outst
(PDF Document, 143.6 KB)

School Meals: Meat

baroness hodgson of abinger: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether meat from animals slaughtered without first being stunned is being served as part of school meals in local authority maintained schools.

lord agnew of oulton: We do not collect this information. The Government sets out required minimum standards for school food in the School Food Standards to ensure that children are served healthy, nutritious meals at school. The standards do not specify food requirements in terms of cultural and religious needs. Head teachers, governors and their caterers are best placed to make decisions about their school food policies. We expect schools to act reasonably and to provide choices that take account of cultural, religious and special dietary needs. We also expect schools to work with parents in making appropriate arrangements. In particular, schools should consult with parents when making changes to school food provision and ensure that parents have access to information on the food provided. If parents are not happy with the food provided by the school, they can discuss this with the school and may consider using the schools complaints policy. We would expect any significant changes to school food to be discussed with parents.

Vocational Guidance

baroness harris of richmond: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to make an announcement on the progress they have made towards aligning the Quality in Careers Standard national accreditation for careers education, information, advice and guidance with the Gatsby Career Benchmarks; and if so, when.

baroness harris of richmond: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to introduce a premium grant to all local authority funded schools to support careers education and guidance on the condition that they work towards the Quality in Careers Standard; and if so, when.

lord agnew of oulton: The Quality in Careers Standard is the single national quality award for careers education, information, advice and guidance for young people. The standard’s assessment criteria has been fully revised to incorporate the Gatsby Benchmarks of good career guidance, and the benchmark indicators, which from September 2018 will form an integral part of the revised assessment and accreditation process. This meets our commitment in the careers strategy to align the standard more fully to the benchmarks. We are pleased with the progress that has been made on this and we have written to the Quality in Careers Standard Board to thank them for all their work. There are no plans to design a premium grant to all local authority schools on condition they work towards the Quality in Careers Standard. We believe that schools are best placed to decide what careers provision to provide. We are investing over £70 million this year to support young people and adults to have access to quality careers provision. The government strongly recommends that all schools and colleges work towards the updated Quality in Careers Standard, incorporating the Gatsby benchmarks and the Compass tool, to support the development of a world-class careers programme for all their young people.

Ministry of Justice

Offenders: Housing

lord german: To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) how many, and (2) what percentage of, offenders in England and Wales completing a custodial sentence of 12 months or less have gone on to occupy non-temporary accommodation three months after leaving custody, in the last year.

lord german: To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) how many, and (2) what percentage of, offenders in England and Wales completing a custodial sentence of greater than 12 months have gone on to occupy non-temporary accommodation three months after leaving custody in the last year.

lord keen of elie: Accommodation status of offenders 3 months after release from Custody during 2017, including Allocated Persons of Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRC) and the National Probation Service (NPS), is provided in the annexed table. Everyone leaving custody should have a safe and suitable home to go to on release; having somewhere to live gives people a stable platform from which to access health services, hold down a job and reduces the likelihood of them reoffending. As part of the joint approach between us and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) we will pilot initiatives, helping those with a history of offending to access and sustain suitable accommodation. ANNEX  Custodial sentence length less than 12 months   Settled Accommodation18,45561% Approved Premises and Bail Hostel (short and long stay)5032% Friends/Family (settled)8,49428% Long Term Residential Healthcare510% Permanent Independent Housing (LA or private rent, owner and type unknown)7,20224% Supported Housing2,2057% Unsettled Accommodation11,59239% Bail Hostel (short stay)580% Friends/Family (transient)2,3238% Homeless (Other, Rough Sleeping and Squat)4,07614% Missing Data / Recording Error3,99413% Transient/short term accommodation1,1414% less than 12m Total30,047100% Custodial sentence length greater or equal to 12 months   Settled Accommodation21,96675% Approved Premises and Bail Hostel (short and long stay)3,44112% Friends/Family (settled)11,10338% Long Term Residential Healthcare680% Permanent Independent Housing (LA or private rent, owner and type unknown)5,64619% Supported Housing1,7086% Unsettled Accommodation7,50325% Bail Hostel (short stay)1320% Friends/Family (transient)1,7226% Homeless (Other, Rough Sleeping and Squat)1,5795% Missing Data / Recording Error3,18511% Transient/short term accommodation8853% over 12m Total29,469100% Notes:   (1) Data based on offender releases during calendar year 2017 recorded in the Probation case management system, therefore this may not align with published prison release statistics. (2) Cases terminating before the 3 month date from release are excluded  (3) Cases recalled to prison before the 3 month date from release are excluded but a re-release in the period will be included (4) LA = Local Authority

Buildings: Females

baroness uddin: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the establishment of women’s buildings, particularly following the closure of HMP Holloway.

lord keen of elie: We are committed to addressing the issues around female offending so we can better protect the public and deliver more effective rehabilitation. That is why we have published a female offenders’ strategy, setting out a new programme of work, with investment of £5m over two years in community provisions for women. The strategy also gives a commitment to work with local and national partners to develop pilots for ‘residential women’s centres’ in at least five sites across England and Wales. This supports our vision to see fewer women in custody by developing more options for supporting women in the community. We are not proceeding with plans to build five Community Prisons for Women.

Offenders: Employment and Training

lord german: To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) how many, and (2) what percentage of offenders in England and Wales completing a custodial sentence of 12 months or fewer are in (a) full-time training,and (b) full-time employment three months after leaving custody, in the last year.

lord german: To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) how many, and (2) what percentage of offenders in England and Wales completing custodial sentences of greater than 12 months are in (a) full-time training,and (b) full-time employment three months after leaving custody, in the last year.

lord keen of elie: We do not currently hold the data as requested. Based on matched MOJ-DWP data on the proportion of working age adult offenders released from prison in 2011/12 who were in P45 employment one year after release we know that there is no difference in P45 employment rates over a one year period for those serving sentences of fewer or greater than 12 months. For those serving custodial sentences of fewer than 12 months; 17% were in P45 employment one year after release from prison And for those serving custodial sentences of greater than 12 months; 17% were in P45 employment one year after release from prison More recent data from 2014/15 indicates that at a national level, 26.5% of prisoners were entering employment upon release, but this data was self-reported and we don’t have a split in this rate for length of sentence served. Securing employment after a sentence has a positive impact on rates of reoffending. Offenders who found P45 employment in the twelve months after release from prison had one year re-offending rates that were 6-9 percentage points lower than similar offenders who did not find employment. That is why we have launched the Education and Employment Strategy. The strategy will create a system in which each prisoner is set on a path to employment from the outset, with prison education and work geared towards employment on release. Our strategy includes a range of initiatives to support this ambition. For example, we will empower governors to commission education provision that leads to work, we will engage and persuade employers to take on ex-prisoners via the New Futures Network (NFN) and we will consult governors and employers on proposals to increase the opportunities available to prisoners to gain experience in real workplaces through Release On Temporary Licence.

Prisoners on Remand: West Midlands

lord lisvane: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consultation they undertook before deciding to relocate all remand cases from the West Mercia Police area to Kidderminster.

lord keen of elie: The method of travel and travel times and average mileage were thoroughly researched and taken into account when considering the centralisation of the remand courts in Kidderminster. The detail is provided in the consultation document (page 9) and is also discussed in the response document. HMCTS also provided detail of the average each way journey distance for prisoners in miles, along with the time in minutes and the number of prisoners who would be required to travel to that venue from police stations.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Housing Revenue Accounts

baroness eaton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for increasing the Housing Revenue Account borrowing cap above the £1 billion announced in the Autumn Budget 2017.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: I refer to the written statement that I made on 26 June about affordable housing (please see below the link; number HLWS772). We will monitor how authorities respond to this opportunity, and consider whether any further action is needed.https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Lords/2018-06-26/HLWS772/



WMS HLWS772
(PDF Document, 83.17 KB)

Housing: Construction

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government in which local authority areas are the highest number of new homes being built on the green belt.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Department produces statistics on the estimated percentage of new residential addresses created on Green Belt land, broken down by local authority area, and averaged over four years. Figures for the 2013-14 to 2016-17 period are given in the attached table.



Table 311
(Excel SpreadSheet, 24.95 KB)

Housing: Construction

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many homes have been built in flood risk areas in England in each year since 2010–11 for which records are available.

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government which local authorities have had the highest proportion of new homes built in flood risk areas in each year since 2010–11 for which records are available.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Department produces statistics on the estimated percentage of new residential addresses created in National Flood Zone 3. Those for England for each year from 2013-14 to 2016-17 period are given in the Table 1below.Table 1  England New residential addresses created in National Flood Zone 31 as a proportion of all new addresses created   2013-14 7%2014-15 8%2015-16 9%2016-17 11%   1 Land assessed, ignoring the presence of flood defences, as having a 1% or greater annual probability of fluvial flooding or a 0.5% or greater annual probability of tidal flooding.Notes:  Areas of high risk cover approximately ten per cent of England This flood risk analysis is based on annually updated data sets of digitised boundaries provided by the Environment Agency. They reflect the river and coastal flood plains and provide indicative flood risk areas. They are areas estimated to be at risk of at least a one in one hundred chance of flooding each year from river areas estimated to have at least a one in two hundred chance of flooding from the sea. These are approximate boundaries and do not take into account any flood defences. Figures for the percentage of dwellings built in England within flood risk areas for years before 2013-14 are given in the Table 2 below, but these figures are not consistent with the latest figures due to a change in the methodology for producing the statistics.Table 2 - figures for England, 1989 to 2011   Percentage  YearDwellings built within flood risk areas  19898  19907  19917  19927  19937  19947  19958  19967  19978  19987  19998  20008  20018  20029  20039  20049  20058  20069  20078  20089  200911  20109  20117  Notes:   The data in the table above are based on records received from Ordnance Survey up to September 2012.  Sources: Live Table P251, Land Use Change Statistics  Areas of high risk cover approximately ten per cent of England This flood risk analysis is based on annually updated data sets of digitised boundaries provided by the Environment Agency. They reflect the river and coastal floodplains and provide indicativeflood risk areas. They are areas estimated to be at risk of at least a one in one hundred chance of flooding each year from river areas estimated to have at least a one in two hundred chanceof flooding from the sea. These are approximate boundaries and do not take into account any flood defences. Please see LUCS statistical release for more information.  The Department produces statistics on the estimated percentage of new residential addresses created in National Flood Zone 3, broken down by local authority area, and averaged over four years. Figures for the 2013-14 to 2016-17 period are given in the attached Table 3.



Table 3
(Excel SpreadSheet, 27.65 KB)

Ministry of Defence

Army: Wales

viscount waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to disband (1) Headquarters 160th Infantry Brigade and Headquarters Wales, (2) 31st Infantry Brigade and Headquarters Scotland, or (3) HQ Northern Ireland; and if so why.

earl howe: There are no plans to disband Headquarters 160th Infantry Brigade and Headquarters Wales, Headquarters 51st Infantry Brigade and Headquarters Scotland, or Headquarters 38th (Irish) Infantry Brigade. There is currently no 31st Infantry Brigade.

Department for Work and Pensions

Personal Independence Payment

lord boateng: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to collect data on race alongside disability, gender and age as part of their monitoring of the Personal Independent Payments caseload.

baroness buscombe: The Department for Work and Pensions only collects data which determines benefit entitlement or which contributes to the good management of a claim, we therefore do not ask for those details. We have no plans to change these arrangements.

Cabinet Office

Reviews

lord watts: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Young of Cookham on 5 June (HL8390), how many independent reviews each department has commissioned into Government policy or administration over the last year; and what was the total cost of those reviews.

lord young of cookham: I refer the Noble Lord to the answer given to HL8390 on 5 June.

European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018

lord adonis: To ask Her Majesty's Government who was (1) invited, and (2) accepted invitations, to the Prime Minister’s reception in 10 Downing Street on 26 June to mark the passage of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018.

lord adonis: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the cost of the Prime Minister’s reception in 10 Downing Street on the 26 June to mark the passage of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018.

lord adonis: To ask Her Majesty's Government what advice was given by the Cabinet Secretary on the appropriateness of 10 Downing Street being used as a venue for a party on the 26 June marking the enactment of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018.

lord young of cookham: As has been the case under successive administrations, it is customary for departments to mark the passage of a significant piece of legislation with an occasion within a government building to thank Ministers and officials who worked on the Bill. The Prime Minister did not attend this particular event. Costs of hospitality for the Cabinet Office are published in the Cabinet Office annual report and accounts which is available on the GOV.UK website.

Public Sector: Procurement

lord mccoll of dulwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the findings of The Sancroft-Tussell Report: Eliminating Modern Slavery in Public Procurement, published on 22 March, whether they will terminate contracts with companies that have failed to comply with section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015;what other actions, if any, have been or will be taken against those Government suppliers failing to meet the requirements of section 54; whether contracts to supply Government departments include obligations to demonstrate compliance with section 54; and what steps, if any, they have taken to ensure that their suppliers are taking steps to reduce modern slavery in their supply chains.

lord young of cookham: The Public Contracts Regulations 2015 provide various grounds on which contracting authorities must or may exclude suppliers from a public procurement process. Mandatory exclusion grounds include convictions for forced labour and human trafficking offences. Discretionary grounds include violations of obligations in the field of environmental, social and labour laws.It is the responsibility of individual contracting authorities to ensure suppliers meet their contractual obligations and this is achieved through effective contract management. Such contracts have a range of mechanisms to enable performance to be managed and issues to be addressed, which includes termination.The Home Office have developed and piloted a modern slavery supplier assessment tool to assess risk of modern slavery in supply chains, which has been trialled in five departments and is currently being updated prior to further roll-out. The Cabinet Office is also working with the Home Office to develop guidance for departments in identifying and tackling modern slavery, particularly in high risk sectors.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Government Departments: Procurement

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following proposed changes to the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012, whether they intend to require companies to have a minimum standard social value before they are awarded a government contract; and how this will help in safeguarding against events such as Carillion’s collapse.

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the speech by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 25 June, when they intend to introduce a bill to amend the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 to require public contracts to be awarded for social value; and when they propose that this bill will take effect.

lord ashton of hyde: The government remains committed to the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 and believes it can contribute to creating a diverse public services supply market and harness wider benefits for our communities.  On 25 June, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, David Lidington announced our intention to lead by example by extending application of the Act across central government. Doing so will not require legislation. Officials from the Cabinet Office, Crown Commercial Service and Office for Civil Society, DCMS will work together to implement this policy with departments and explore further opportunities for the Act. There are no plans for a minimum standard of social value in contracts, to give contracting authorities the flexibility to respond to the maturity of the relevant market.

Tourism: Salisbury

lord whitty: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply by Lord Ashton of Hyde on 14 May (HL Deb, col 413), what funding they have allocated to support businesses and organisations in Salisbury affected by the decline in tourism following the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal; and how much of such funding has been disbursed to date.

lord ashton of hyde: DCMS has provided £200,000 of funding to support the visitor economy of the Salisbury area following recent events. £100,000 will be spent through the GREAT campaign to promote Salisbury internationally as a tourist destination. £100,000 has been allocated to VisitWiltshire to support a variety of promotional activities. Additionally, BEIS, MHCLG and the Swindon & Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership provided funding to Wiltshire Council to help them support businesses directly affected by the incident and to encourage broader collaborative efforts to promote recovery and growth. The majority of this money has now been allocated by Wiltshire Council and has benefited 60 businesses impacted by the incident.

The Senior Deputy Speaker

Hereditary Peers: By-elections

lord grocott: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker whathereditary peer by-elections have taken place under the terms of the House of Lords Act 1999; and in each of those by-elections, how many (1) candidates, and (2) electors, there were.

lord mcfall of alcluith: The table below lists all hereditary peer by-elections that have taken place under the terms of the House of Lords Act 1999 to date, together with the number of candidates and electors in each case. Hereditary peer by-elections, 1999-2018 Departed PeerDate of death, retirement or terminationType of By-electionElected PeerDate of electionNumber of candidatesNumber of electorsOxfuird, V.3 January 2003Whole HouseUllswater, V.27 March 200381661Milner of Leeds, L.20 August 2003LabourGrantchester, L.30 October 2003113Vivian, L.28 February 2004ConservativeTrenchard, V.13 May 20043748Russell, E.14 October 2004Liberal DemocratGlasgow, E.13 January 200534Burnham, L.1 January 2005ConservativeDe Mauley, L.14 March 20053647Aberdare, L.23 January 2005Whole HouseEccles, V.23 March 200536687Strange, B.11 March 2005CrossbenchMontgomery of Alamein, V.23 June 20052629Mowbray and Stourton, L.12 December 2006ConservativeCathcart, E.7 March 20074347Darcy de Knayth, B.24 February 2008CrossbenchStair, E.22 May 20083329Bledisloe, V.12 May 2009CrossbenchAberdare, L.14 July 20093329Northesk, E.28 March 2010ConservativeYounger of Leckie, V.23 June 20103347Colville of Culross, V.8 April 2010CrossbenchClancarty, E.23 June 20102429Strabolgi, L.24 December 2010Whole HouseHanworth, V.23 March 201124769Monson, L.12 February 2011CrossbenchLytton, E.11 May 20111428Ampthill, L.23 April 2011Whole HouseColville of Culross, V.20 July 201120769Onslow, E.14 May 2011ConservativeAshton of Hyde, L.20 July 20112147Ferrers, E.13 November 2011ConservativeRidley, V.6 February 20122748Reay, L.10 May 2013Whole HouseBorwick, L.17 July 201323753Moran, L.14 February 2104CrossbenchCromwell, L.9 April 20141329Methuen, L.9 July 2014Whole HouseOxford and Asquith, E.22 October 201415776Allenby of Megiddo, V.*3 October 2014CrossbenchRussell of Liverpool, L.10 December 20141827Cobbold, L.*13 October 2014CrossbenchSomerset, D.10 December 20141727Chorley, L.**17 November 2014CrossbenchThurlow, L.3 February 20151828Saltoun of Abernethy, Ly.**12 December 2014CrossbenchKinnoull, E.3 February 20151728Tenby, V.1 May 2015CrossbenchMountevans, L.7 July 20151928Luke, L.24 June 2015ConservativeWellington, D.16 September 20151648Montgomery of Alamein, V.23 July 2015CrossbenchTrevethin and Oaksey, L.20 October 20151729Montagu of Beaulieu, L.31 August 2015ConservativeFairfax of Cameron, L.24 November 20151448Avebury, L.14 February 2016Liberal DemocratThurso, V.19 April 201673Bridges, L.18 May 2016CrossbenchCork and Orrery, E. (Boyle, L.)12 July 20161731Lyell, L.11 January 2017Whole HouseColgrain, L.27 March 201727803Walpole, L.13 June 2017CrossbenchVaux of Harrowden, L.19 July 20171031Baldwin of Bewdley, E.9 May 2018Crossbench(In progress)4 July 20181931Glentoran, L.1 June 2018Conservative(In progress)18 July 20181147 * This involved one by-election for two vacancies** This involved one by-election for two vacancies

House of Lords: Freedom of Information

lord clark of windermere: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker whether the House of Lords is subject to all aspects of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

lord mcfall of alcluith: The House of Lords is a public authority for the purposes of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. The provisions of the Act apply to recorded information held by the House of Lords Administration, except for information described in the Freedom of Information (Parliament and National Assembly for Wales) Order 2008 which is available at: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2008/1967/pdfs/uksi_20081967_en.pdf.